Pulis praises ´fantastic´ team effort

Stoke City boss Tony Pulis was delighted by the ‘smashing football’ on display as the Potters thumped Brighton 3-0 on Saturday.

Stoke booked their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a comfortable win over the League One outfit, with on-loan Aston Villa striker John Carew, Jon Walters and captain Ryan Shawcross all scoring at Britannia Stadium.

Pulis was effusive in his praise following the match, though he conceded the Potters should have won by more than three goals.

“It is as comfortable as you make it and I thought the players’ attitude today, especially in the first half, was absolutely fantastic,” Pulis told Sky Sports.

“We never let them (Brighton) settle. We played some smashing football and the second goal (by Walters) is a great goal.”

“Really, truthfully, we were disappointed at half-time that it was only 3-0. We had more opportunities to make it bigger than that.”

Stoke reached the quarter-finals of last season’s FA Cup before being eliminated by eventual winners Chelsea, but Pulis is hoping for an easier draw this time around.

“It is the first time in our club’s history, and this football club has been going a long time, that we have managed to reach quarter-finals in consecutive seasons, so that is great credit to the players,” he said.

“We just need a little bit of luck with the draw, fingers crossed. That’s what everybody will be hoping for, that they get a good draw.”

The Potters boss singled out Walters, who he signed from Ipswich Town in July, for particular praise, saying: “I thought he was the best player on the pitch by a country mile.”

“It just shows that there are players in the lower leagues, if you give them an opportunity and a chance to step up, who have got that desire and that heart to impress.”